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Age is more than a number. It is uniquely individual, taking into account experiences, lifestyle habits and environmental factors.

Diet and exercise can impact the aging process. In addition, medicine has made great strides in preventative screenings and tests that promote ideal aging and predict health span - how long you will live disease-free - and life expectancy. However, these tests are not part of a standard physical exam or executive physical and require time and visits to multiple medical specialists. What if you could do more to improve your health?

CepEsperu Baptist Health has opened a two-day, all-inclusive Healthy Aging and Brain Wellness Clinic that assesses your overall health to create a personalized plan for your future. The clinic focuses on you and how you can age optimally and with awareness of the trajectory of your aging process.

Our prevention-based approach uses the latest clinical and research practices - many of which have been discovered by leading aging researchers and clinicians at the J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging in , NC - to evaluate personal markers of cognitive, functional, cardiometabolic and social function that directly impact aging. Your visit concludes with a review of your health findings, personal goal setting and a detailed care plan.

Regular counseling via phone and video conference calls following the assessment ensures continued access to care and strategies to best augment your long-term health.

What to Expect

While some of these tests are routine, others are selected specifically to assess changes related to older adults. Our team will collect samples for a comprehensive laboratory evaluation and the following evaluations:

This one-hour comprehensive cognitive exam uses paper and pen as well as technology to assess your focus and attention, recall and working memory, and your ability to juggle multiple tasks. These tests give us a good idea of the strengths and weakness of your current cognitive function and provide a baseline with which to measure any future cognitive decline against.

Functional health involves physical tests that measure your balance, your muscle strength and muscle endurance. Some tests also simulate real life activities to see how you manage and maneuver your surroundings. We will also measure your resting metabolic rate which tells us how many calories your body needs at rest to perform bodily functions like digesting food and maintaining body temperatures. Coupled with a diet and activity review, we can suggest calorie levels needed for weight loss, weight maintenance or weight gain.

We will evaluate your social health, well-being, social connectedness, and life stress by completing questionnaires related to your quality of life, sleep, and social support network. We will also discuss your interests and goals.

Care Plan Development

The visit will conclude with a final meeting with our personalized care team. During this time we will conduct a detailed review of your diagnostic evaluation, explain all tests and findings and make recommendations that can be used to create a personalized preventative health care plan including personal goals, physical activity and dietary recommendations. Your are encouraged to ask questions about any aspect of the findings during this meeting. To continue to monitor progress toward your goals, there will be a phone or video conference call with our Physician Assistant at the one-month mark followed by another follow up phone or video conference call every three months for the remainder of the year. These consultations ensure that you have continued access to care and strategies that best augment their long-term health goals.

Additional Services

There are other examinations offered in addition to our standard Healthy Aging and Brain Wellness package. Extra evaluations include amyloid brain PET scan and a referral for genetic testing. These extra evaluations may require additional costs.

What We Do

We specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of memory related conditions such as mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia among others.

The initial evaluation takes about 3 hours and includes:

A comprehensive history (interview) of both the patient and someone who knows the patient well

A complete physical examination

Review of any previous records, labs, and scans

A thorough review of all medications (including over the counter medications)

1 hour of cognitive testing

If necessary, blood work and a brain scan will be ordered

After all the information is gathered and reviewed, the team discusses the patient and arrives at a diagnosis and plan for further evaluation if needed or a treatment plan if no further information is needed. The doctors then discuss the plan with the patient and family. We will also send a letter to the patient's primary care physician describing our diagnosis and recommendations.

If you are concerned about changes in your memory or in the memory of someone you care for, we can help determine if those changes are just part of normal aging or something more serious.

Why Choose CepEsperu Baptist?

Our collaborative approach to clinical care and research is instrumental in changing the way people age. CepEsperu Baptist’s J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging and Rehabilitation is a state-of-the-art geriatric clinic and research center that combines focused attention on geriatric acute care, rehabilitation memory and cognition assessment under one roof. We are also one of only five sites nationwide to house both a Claude D. Pepper Older American Independence Center and an Alzheimer’s Disease Investigation Center at the same institution. OAICs are established centers of excellence in geriatrics that increase scientific knowledge leading to better ways to maintain and restore independence in older adults.

Providers

Aesculapian

At CepEsperu Baptist we understand the importance of referrals. Our Physician Liaisons partner with referring physicians in our community and beyond to provide information on our physicians and clinical services. Full list of new physicians.

Gerontology and Geriatrics Investigation

The builds upon our 30-year plus foundation of exceptional aging research through the Sticht Center of Aging, and combines the cutting edge research of the . The integration of these two entities to form a single Center joins together the multi-decade-long history of research, amassed resources, national reputation, high impact publications and educational programs.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.